Like the Wind
by Valentine'sNinja
Summary: AU. She was spirited and free, and he had no business feeling for her anything but admiration. VincentYuffie, minor ZackTifa.
1. Like the Wind

Hello and welcome! Now, you're probably shaking your heads at me and my inability to finish a story before starting another one, but I couldn't resist. This one just popped into my head and though I'm still trying to decide on where to go, I went ahead and posted the first chapter. I won't even try to and predict how long it will be, because my last two fics are turning into multi-chaptered ones, but we'll see. Think of this baby as an alternate to 'Princess of Thieves,' though I'm sure it will not follow the same plot as that one. Anyway, please enjoy and let me know if you'd like to see this one continued!

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters used in this piece of fiction. I am making no money off of them.

…

**Like the Wind**

…

Standing at the bar, sipping a glass of his favorite red wine—which ran on the expensive side—he spied her. The tiny thing slipping between the crowd with nimble fingers, picking pockets and cheerfully chatting with her victims afterwards. His eyes trailed her as she danced from one side of the room to the other, avoiding the ones she had already taken from.

He recognized her as the daughter of one Godo Kisaragi, the man who was essentially running the whole continent of Wutai. He couldn't recall her name at the moment, but she was amusing him to no end, and he had no doubt that soon enough someone would catch onto her little game. He wondered where she was putting her spoils when she was dressed in a very formfitting piece.

Normally, he was as straight-laced as they could go, but he had to admit that even his own party had become completely dull; this was the last time he would allow his father complete control of such events. But at least his father had invited the right people, and now he had the pleasure of watching the diminutive princess picking pockets. This meant that he needed to find entertainment in something other than the party.

"How long do you think it'll be before someone catches her?" asked his partner at the firm, and longtime friend, as he came to stand by his side.

"Her father surely knows of this… pastime she has. He'll probably sense she is up to no good within the next hour," Vincent replied with a smirk. "How old is she?"

"Eighteen. Maybe nineteen," replied Zack, thanking the bartender for his mojito.

"She has a country at her feet and yet here she is, stealing from people," said Vincent.

Zack shrugged. "Are you going to stop her? After all, this is your party, and she's stealing from your guests."

Vincent set down his wineglass and shook his head. "I'll watch her and see if she's brash enough to attempt stealing from me."

Zack chuckled in amusement and nodded. "What will you do if she does?"

Vincent grunted. "I'll think about it." They watched those quick fingers dart into another pocket when she purposely ran into a man. "How are Tifa and the baby?"

"Cranky when I left them at home," Zack replied with a large grin. "I'll have baby-duty tonight because I was 'off partying without her.' But I guess it's only fair. The kid has a set of lungs on him that could burst some eardrums and Tifa hasn't slept a full night in a month, since we brought him home."

Vincent nodded. "I hope you enjoy your Christmas present," he said, handing Zack an envelope before walking away.

Zack stared down at it and opened it, quickly reading the contents in Vincent's handwriting. He smiled and tucked the paper into the inside of his coat. Vincent—the big ol' softy—had just given him a month off of paid paternity leave. He snickered to himself; Tifa would get tired of having him around the house for a whole month.

…

Her pockets were starting to get heavy and she knew that she would have to stop _borrowing_ money from the rich and snobby soon. Besides, she had a feeling that she was being watched and she wondered why this person hadn't stepped in so far. Better to retire before someone called security on her.

She was standing in a room full of lawyers and she knew that they would all love to prosecute the shit out of her if they found out what she was doing. But she was honestly so very bored and old Godo had been trying to set her up with some real weirdoes.

First there had been the guy with the chochobo hair; he hadn't had much to say, _and _he had been kind of boring. Then she'd met the guy her age who'd loved replying to everything with a 'whatever'; honestly, how was he planning to pick up a hot girl that way? And finally there had been that creep with the tattoos on his face and the bright red hair; he'd started to get grabby. Honestly, her father knew nothing about playing matchmaker.

Her fingers had been automatically reaching for a new pocket when they were captured by a long, pale fingered hand that curled completely around hers. Yanking back hard, Yuffie felt herself pale as she looked up and into the crimson eyes of one of the hottest men she'd ever seen. Well, hottest and the owner of the frickin' firm they were standing in.

Damn it. Godo was going to kill her.

"Er… sorry about that. I tripped," she said quickly, yanking once more.

"You tripped and your hand fell into the inside of my coat?" asked Vincent smartly.

"Yeah—yes."

"Is there a problem here?"

_Great, _thought Yuffie in annoyance. "Get lost, will you baldy?"

The tall man straightened but did not move away. "It's my job to watch you."

"Have you been watching her pick pockets the entire night?" Vincent asked, cool.

Yuffie flushed and realized that it had been his gaze that had been following her for a while now. "He was too busy arguing with tattoo-face about who's got the best rack here," she said with a smirk. "So, who won?"

There was a muted pink color on the bald man's face. "We were discussing sports."

"Yeah, because Tifa's not here and she's obviously your choice."

There was an awkward silence and Yuffie tried to pull her hand, but the man's grip was like iron.

Vincent felt irritation stir. "Tifa is a married woman."

"And she's married to Zack, who's equally hot. What's wrong with looking?" Yuffie snarked.

"Maybe we should take up your activity with your father," said Vincent.

She had the gall to shrug. "He'll ground me and cut me off. I don't see how he hasn't realized that I…" she trailed off and stopped talking, not about to disclose more dirty tactics to a _lawyer._

Vincent swallowed back a smirk of amusement and finally let her pull herself free when she yanked once more. She rubbed her chafed skin and glared at him. She was something else, alright. "Stop stealing from my guests, or I will be forced to take action," he warned her before walking away.

Yuffie growled softly to herself and glared up at Rude. "Let's go. This party sucks, and we've been to all of Godo's to know," she muttered.

Rude sighed and followed after her as she made for the door.

Vincent watched them go from afar and it only took him a moment to decide to follow. He was curious about her and of the fact that she was unafraid of any authority figures, including her father. From the parking lot he followed in his own sleek car and found a small part of him hoped that she wasn't a shallow, spoiled girl who would run off to a nightclub to spend her money on alcohol and/or drugs.

He'd seen some of his employees defend a few of their clients' spoiled children in court because they had been stupid enough to get behind the car while under the influence. Many times he had found himself reconsidering who it was that they defended.

His surprise mounted when he saw the girl's car stop in front of a toy store, and she jumped out of the car before her guardian could open it for her. He parked his own vehicle and waited for nearly twenty minutes before she nearly bounced her way out of the store, his guard and many employees of the place carrying bags behind her. They stuffed the toys into the trunk and the back seats of the luxury SUV, and then Yuffie raced into the driver's seat while her guard took up the passenger's.

Another drive sent them to a nearby orphanage, where she and a few of the adults from there carried the bags into the building.

Vincent stepped out of his car and locked it before making his way over and stepping into the modest place. It looked like it could use some renovation and he had to wonder how many children were housed there. Hmm… maybe they would receive an anonymous donation the following day as well.

In the time he had lived in Edge, he hadn't given himself the chance to look this closely into the city, but he couldn't believe that the little thief had provided him such an eye opener. There were probably close to sixty orphaned children in this building and he was sure that there were plenty other orphanages in the city with countless more.

Edge was on the outskirts of Midgar, and though he was a respectable lawyer from Midgar, it was good to be able to see those who needed some help. He could be ruthless in court, but he wasn't an evil man, and bringing happiness to children who had been either abandoned or had lost their families was something he was willing to do.

At least his money wasn't of the illegal variety like Kisaragi's, he mused. The children had all been ushered into the lunchroom, where they would all fit, and Vincent watched as Yuffie began to pass the unwrapped gifts with some help. Pretty soon there were little girls and boys had new toys to play with and were all gathered around Yuffie with near adoration in their eyes.

The director and guardians of the orphanage couldn't stop thanking her, but Yuffie just smiled and informed them that she had wanted as many children to feel happy with Christmas so close. Rude was like a statue as children clung to his legs, or asked him why he was bald, and Vincent found himself wondering how much torture the man had to put up with Yuffie by herself.

Feeling lighter than he had in a very long time, he stepped out of the building without getting spotted by anyone and waited right outside the gates. Luckily the weather hadn't yet turned freezing, but he knew snow would be coming any day now.

"Spying on me, are you?" her cheerful voice asked about five minutes later.

"I was just curious as to what you would do with all of the money you acquired. Do you generally steal from the rich and give to the poor?" Vincent questioned.

"That's a secret," she said, moving from his side to stand in front of him. "I always have too much time on my hands so my old man rarely knows what I'm up to. Unless I get caught."

"Why don't you do things the legitimate way? Why not raise the money for their toys?"

She rolled her eyes and slipped her hands into a pair of warm gloves. "Where's the fun in that?"

A small chuckle left his lips as he looked at the rosy hue on her cheeks from the cold. "You're unlike anyone I've ever met."

"Well, I'll take that as a compliment. It means that I'm unique and unforgettable," said Yuffie brightly. Her cheeks flushed a deeper red when he continued to look at her. "Why are you still here?"

He raised an eyebrow at her and shrugged one shoulder elegantly. "Committing this moment to memory," he said in a low tone. "Despite the fact that you started this the wrong way, you made a lot of children happy today."

Yuffie shrugged and began to walk back to her car, Vincent a step behind her. "I rarely do things the right way." She turned to look at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "If I killed someone, would you defend me?"

"Are you going to go out and deliberately kill someone?" Vincent asked.

"Hypothetical situation," said Yuffie, rolling her eyes.

"It still depends on whether or not you deliberately did it."

"Self-defense."

Vincent almost smiled. "Then yes, I would defend you in court."

Yuffie nodded and winked. "That's good to know. Though maybe you should get back to your party now."

"It was… a very boring one."

"Yeah," Yuffie giggled.

"It was nice meeting you, Miss Kisaragi," he said, holding his hand out to her.

Yuffie took it, her smile softening and nodded. "You can call me Yuffie. And it was also great meeting you."

"You can call me Vincent if you wish," he said, opening the door of the car for her, even as Rude shifted behind her.

"We'll probably see each other again, since my dad said we'll be here for about a month," said Yuffie, getting into her seat and buckling her seatbelt.

"Just as long as you refrain from attempting to pick my pocket, I think we will both be okay," Vincent said, tone calm.

Yuffie's eyes narrowed playfully as she shrugged. "Make sure you don't keep too much cash on you. _Then_ we'll be okay."

Instead of replying to her jab, Vincent bowed slightly before closing her door.

Yuffie smiled to herself as Rude settled in to drive her back to their hotel. "What do you think, Rude? He's hot _and_ smart."

"He'll also be able to defend you if you get caught stealing from people," said Rude smoothly.

"You're no fun," she muttered. "Besides, it's your fault that I've gotten so good."

"And I have regretted showing you every single day since I've been watching over you," he said dryly.

Yuffie burst into laughter and shrugged. "Stop trying to deny the fact that you love me."

Silence was his answer and Yuffie punched him in the back of his shoulder. "You'll never get rid of me now," she said in a sing-song.

"Woe is me."

Yuffie snickered and said nothing more, her mind focusing back on the handsome man who had taken to following her on that night. The glint of his crimson eyes remained with her and she felt herself looking forward to meeting him again. She'd have to break into Godo's planner and check when their next meeting was; she'd cling to her father like glue on that day.

…

Despite the fact that the Christmas party had been a week early, Vincent was glad that he had given his partners and employees, at the very least, some good drinks even if the party had been boring. Grimoire and his old cronies hadn't thought so, and Vincent hadn't said anything; he was trying to keep his relationship with his father civil.

Vincent had been up to his eyeballs in research the last few days, and had been forced to cancel a few meetings, but he was relieved at least, that his most important cases would be in the New Year. Unless some emergency came up. But he had learned to be patient, and so he was not worried about that now.

"M-miss! You can't just barge into Mr. Valentine's office—"

Vincent looked up in time to see Yuffie race in, deftly avoiding his assistant's hands.

Yuffie narrowed her eyes. "Maybe you should call off your friend here if she doesn't want me to break every bone in her hands. Then you'll end up defending me for assault and not murder."

Strangely, he found that he believed her. Vincent turned to Elena and gave her a nod. "That will be all, Elena. I will talk to the young lady."

Elena gave Yuffie a blistering glare, which the shorter woman returned, and closed the door behind her. When Yuffie turned back to him, the grin didn't even wilt under his own glare. She shrugged. "She said I needed an appointment, and I honestly don't have time for that."

"Right, since you have such a busy day," Vincent returned, deadpan.

"I do, actually. But I wanted to stop by and say hello," Yuffie said, plopping down onto the seat in front of him. "My dad is off doing political stuff and I'm bored. I've found that when I'm bored, I tend to do things that are… _frowned upon_."

"Stealing is punishable by law," Vincent agreed. He didn't know what it was about her that put him so at ease. He, Vincent Valentine, one of the most respected and sought out lawyers, only twenty-seven in age, and usually a no-nonsense man, was being rendered speechless and amused by a nineteen year old thief. "What will you do for New Year's? Steal a bank?"

Her bright eyes seemed to glitter. "Don't give me any ideas."

Vincent sighed quietly and shook his head once. "What's really on your mind, Yuffie?"

"Did you check outside yet?" she asked.

Vincent shook his head and turned towards the large clear window behind him. His eyes widened slightly in surprise when he saw that soft snow clumps had started to fall over the city. "I hadn't even noticed."

"I figured. Lawyers are workaholics with no personal lives," she said, matter-of-fact.

"That's not entirely true," Vincent replied.

"It's not?" she asked, getting to her feet. "Then come on and prove it." She walked over to his side of the desk and pulled at his arm, attempting rather unsuccessfully to get him to his feet.

"I have work to do," he said flatly.

"And it'll still be here in an hour. Come on," she said, finally getting him to stand.

"Where are we going?" he asked as they walked out the door. He turned to Elena before Yuffie could say something rude. "I will return in an hour. Hold my calls, please, Elena."

"Of course, sir," she said, a confused frown on her face.

Vincent ignored the tongue Yuffie stuck out at her and they both boarded the elevator. "You are used to getting your way in everything, aren't you?"

Yuffie shrugged. "Comes with being a sort-of-princess. My dad would try to substitute his time with material things. But, I guess I can cut him some slack since my mom died when I was really young and he had no one to turn to for advice on how to raise a rebellious little kid."

Vincent stared at her for a moment and nodded in understanding. After all, he had gone through almost the same exact thing with Grimoire, except that… his mother had walked out on them. "Is that why you give toys to the orphans? Because you can relate to them on some level?"

Yuffie smiled secretively. "Why I do it is a personal reason that I don't want to share with anyone."

"That's perfectly understandable," Vincent replied, holding the elevator door for Yuffie to exit. "Though it seems to me like you have to find yourself a less dangerous hobby," he said with meaning.

"I only steal when I'm bored, so in the meantime, I try to keep myself as entertained as possible," she assured him as they stepped out onto the lightly falling snow.

They walked a few blocks down and stopped at a bakery, where Yuffie ushered him in and pointed to the delicious looking sweets. "First, we need to find something sweet."

Vincent wasn't at all surprised to see her pick a cupcake with a large twirl of green whipped topping, and sprinkled with tiny Christmas trees. She picked a matching one for him, but made of dark chocolate. Then she ordered them a tall cup of coffee and paid off the cashier before he could even grab his wallet.

"My treat. But you'll have to ask me out to dinner some time," Yuffie said with a wink.

Vincent was still annoyed at the fact that she had paid, when he realized that his wallet was suspiciously missing. "Miss Kisaragi."

She handed over the expensive leather with a flourish. "Well, what do you know? You _did_ treat me!"

He wondered at what point she had picked his pocket and came to the conclusion that it had probably been when they had been exiting the elevator or entering the bakery… It shocked him that he had been able to tell back at the party, but had not this time. "What honestly gave you the impression that I will not retaliate?"

"You would've done it already instead of warning me," Yuffie replied, walking off towards a small table at the corner of the bakery store.

Vincent took the seat across from her and his eyebrows furrowed slightly. "I may have to steal something of yours in order to get you to stop."

Her youthful face brightened as she nodded. "I haven't met my match just yet, so it would be fun to see you try."

"You don't think I would be able to?" Vincent asked, sipping his coffee carefully.

Yuffie shrugged her narrow shoulders. "I was trained by a master from age five," she said, hitching a thumb towards the other side of the room.

Vincent turned to look and spotted the bald head in his pristine black suit. "He's good at blending in," he commented.

"That's his job," said Yuffie.

"Why do you need a bodyguard to watch over you?" he questioned. Maybe if he hadn't been a lawyer, someone trained in reading other people for their reactions to give them away, he would've missed the way her hand tightened around her own cup of coffee.

"I tend to get into a lot of trouble, so my dad hired him to keep me safe," Yuffie replied easily.

He also knew when someone was lying to him. "Despite your impressive skill in thievery, Miss Kisaragi, you're not as skilled in lying," Vincent informed her.

"Hmm… why should I tell you? We just met," Yuffie said, a note of steel entering her voice.

And it shocked him, because up until now she had been pleasant and cheerful; bubbly. For an almost princess, it surprised him that she didn't have an entire security detail, which either meant that the man watching her was a professional—one of the best—or that Yuffie herself was much more dangerous than she looked. "I was under the impression that we were on our way to becoming friends."

"Does a lawyer ever have any true friends?" she asked him, eyes sharp.

Vincent focused his own cutting gaze on her. "I suppose we don't. We have associates, and contacts, but very rarely a true friend." With the exception of Zack, of course, but since Yuffie was giving him nothing, then she would receive nothing.

"What are we doing here, then?" Yuffie asked, leaning forward over the table, eyes intent on his.

Vincent mirrored her, but left considerable space between them. "From the moment I saw you at that party, I found you curiously unafraid of anything."

She smiled at his words. "Is that an evasive way of you telling me that you like me?" Yuffie asked with a grin.

Vincent's lips twitched, but he didn't reply to her little jab. "You are very interesting."

"So you watch me like some sort of bug under a microscope?" Yuffie asked, annoyed. "I don't think I like you anymore." With that, she waltzed out of the bakery and away from him, Rude at her back.

Vincent took his treat and coffee with him as he followed. By the time he spotted her, she was getting into the back of her SUV. He stopped her before she could close the door. "You put words in my mouth."

Yuffie glared lightly at him. "You watch me the way I like to watch things I'm not supposed to steal. Like jewelry behind a glass box. We have no business even trying to get our hands in there."

She was also defensive when she was nervous, he noted. There had to be something behind all of that cheerfulness, but maybe now was not the time to ask her about it. They were still practically strangers. But despite this fact, there was something about her drawing him in. It was unlike any reaction he had ever had towards a woman.

"Nothing to say?" Yuffie asked.

Vincent let out a rough chuckle and wondered at how observant she truly was. "Why don't you meet me for a real lunch in a few days?"

She grinned and snatched the cupcake from his hand. "Fine. But I get to pick the food and the place we'll go to."

"Of course," Vincent said with a nod.

"Stay out of trouble, Vince," she said before winking and closing the door to the car herself.

Vincent chuckled to himself and watched her go before turning to walk back to his office, carrying nothing but his coffee since Yuffie had taken his treat. When he arrived, Elena was taking another message and she looked exasperated.

"Sir, I just got a call from your wife and she would like to know if you will be joining her for dinner tonight," Elena said, handing him various slips of paper.

He paused at his door, a dark look on his face before he nodded. "Thank you, Elena. I'm going to call her right now to confirm with her myself."

Elena watched him go with narrowed eyes and wondered what her boss was playing at with that annoying little girl who had dragged him away less than an hour ago. The man was married… and this was the first time in two years she had seen him drop his work for anyone.

Sighing to herself, she let her eyes trail after the man exiting his office down the hall.

He passed by her desk and offered her a very small smile. "Hello, Elena."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Tseng," she forced out without blushing. He stopped in front of the elevator and his eyes moved over to her right before the doors opened. Inclining his head once, Elena waved and practically melted over her desk.

She needed to get her head out of the clouds and get some work done before Vincent gave her that annoyed twitch of his eyebrow when he was angry. She just hoped that the girl bothering her boss didn't decide to show up again to make him fall behind in his work. That would mean working through the holiday for the both of them and she just wasn't in the mood to waste her vacation time, she thought with a huff.

…

Vincent glared at his phone and hesitated in calling Lucrecia. It was inevitable, he knew, but he wasn't in a rush. His situation with her needed to be resolved sometime soon, as well. Opening his desk drawer, he took up the ring he had stopped wearing long ago and stared at it for a long moment.

His life had revolved around his wife and his job once, but now… the only refuge he had was his job. He didn't know if he wanted to try to salvage what was left of his marriage anymore. _If_ there was anything left.

Placing the ring back where he had left it, he picked up his next file and tried not to acknowledge the fact that he was now thinking of a girl nearly ten years his junior. His head really had no place going there, and he wouldn't cause himself any more grief. Despite that fact, he found his hand reaching for the phone.

Instead of dialing Lucrecia's number, his fingers began to punch in completely different buttons.

…

…

…

…

…

I actually looked up the paternity leave stuff, and even when wiki isn't the most reliable place, it said that parents can get twelve weeks and unpaid leave, but I changed that for this fic, obviously.:) Now, I'm trying not to make Vince to OOC, but he just came out that way… This story will be on the lighter side, I think, though you all know how much I love my drama, so expect some of it here, too. Also, the title of the fic was inspired by the actual song, _"She's Like the Wind,"_ sung by _Patrick Swayze_, and the more modern version sung by _Lumidee. _Both are great, though the second one is more of a hip-hop one.

Still, hopefully you all enjoyed this first chapter, and justt know that I'm working on the next one now. Take care everyone and I really hope this year is better for all of us than last year!:D


	2. Asking for Trouble

Wow! I'm so happy with the welcome the first chapter for this story received! Thank you so much for all of the kind reviews.:D Now, updates may come slower for this fic, since I have Springkink entries due this week, and subsequently this month(the mature ones will be posted on the lj community stated in my bio page), and school starts the week after the next for me. I will try my very best to keep up with all of my stories, so there's a great chance that _'Love Game,' _will be updated next. Anyway, I'll stop talking and let you all get to reading!

…

**Asking for Trouble**

…

"He's so cute!"

"The baby or Vincent?"

"The baby, of course, Tifa."

Her old friend smiled and nodded. She'd always enjoyed teasing Yuffie when it came to her crushes, and now was no exception. "He has Zack's eyes, doesn't he?"

"The baby's are a darker blue…" Yuffie stated, cradling the tiny bundle gently. "Come on, Miles, open your eyes again for aunt Yuffie."

Tifa glanced at the infant enjoying his afternoon nap. "He's perfectly comfortable sleeping in your arms and he won't wake for a while." Her eyes darted over to the large gift Yuffie had brought with her. "You didn't steal the stuff in there, did you?"

Yuffie glared at her and shook her head as she stood and placed the baby back into the bassinet he had been using for his naps the last few days. "Nope. Bought it all with my own money. I haven't gotten my sticky fingers on anything else since I met that Vincent guy."

"Wow. He did you some good. Though, Yuffie, what's going on between the two of you?" Tifa asked, beginning to unwrap the gift after Yuffie had handed it over.

"We're just hanging out. I don't think we're friends yet, but he's curious about me. It's like he wants to do research on me and why I am the way I am," Yuffie replied.

"He's a married man," Tifa said quietly.

"It's not like I'm on love with him. We just met," said Yuffie, narrowing her eyes darkly. Well, that piece of information just put a damper on her mood. She was a very observant person—it came with being a thief—but he hadn't been wearing a ring the two times she had seen him. Hmm, maybe he had taken off his ring so that she wouldn't know he was married and would then try to seduce her…

Tifa gave her a curious look. "You have a sinister look on your face."

"He said that we should have lunch one of these days," said Yuffie with a small growl. "I don't know what to think. He saw me picking some pockets and suddenly he's interested in me?"

"What if he truly just wants to be your friend?" Tifa asked, smiling as she pulled out various sets of baby clothes from Yuffie's gift box.

The shorter woman shrugged and slouched back onto the comfortable couch. "Why would a respected lawyer want to be friends with a spoiled thief?"

"Maybe he sees something in you that makes him want to be your friend. Not everyone has an ulterior motive for getting close to you."

Yuffie gave Tifa a look.

"Well, fine. Your ex did, but not _everyone _does!" Tifa protested. "You're an amazing friend, you're loyal and kind, and you try to make others happy."

"That's true," Yuffie said modestly, a grin starting to grow on her face. She'd always loved spending time with Tifa, since the other woman had such a heart of gold and could easily cheer her up. "So… should I tell Vincent to buzz off if he calls me for lunch?"

"Yuffie, he's _married_," Tifa stressed once more_._ "Maybe you shouldn't reply to his call at all."

They both looked up when the front door to the spacious condo opened and Zack walked in with Tifa's favorite take-out, a smile on his face.

"How are my girls?" he asked with a wink.

Yuffie grinned and Tifa glared as he set the bags on the table before moving over to check on the baby.

"Hey, Zack, since you and Vincent seem to be friends, why is it that he doesn't broadcast that he's married?" Tifa asked, giving Yuffie a pointed look.

Zack finished tucking his son into the bassinet and turned to look at the two women who were trying for nonchalant and failing. Being a lawyer hadn't been his first career choice, but he had always been good at reading people, and his wife could be an open book a lot of the time. It was why it had been so easy to fall in love with her. "Why do you ask?" he questioned, taking a seat next to Tifa and pecking her cheek.

Yuffie fidgeted with the laces of her knee-high sneakers. She'd known Tifa for a long time, but not Zack, and even when he was a sweet guy, he was also Vincent's close friend. "He said we should have lunch together." She finally caved.

Zack raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Vincent Valentine, workaholic , asked you to have lunch with him?"

Yuffie nodded. "But he hasn't mentioned anything about having a wife. I mean, his she wasn't even at that Christmas party a few days ago, right?"

"Well, it's plain and simple: they're _distanced_ from each other," Zack said evasively. Vincent trusted him, and even when it was Tifa he was talking to, he didn't always give his old friend's business away, either. "Look, the best advice I can give you is to talk to him about it if he does call to ask you for lunch."

"Wouldn't that be a date?" Yuffie asked, frowning.

Zack shook his head. "Not necessarily. He's a respected man, and he's not much into doing wild things—though it's entirely different from when he was younger—so dating another woman while he's still married would be the last thing he would do. We're lawyers and we know how much we can screw ourselves up for doing something like that."

Tifa smiled gently at Yuffie and the disappointed glint in the younger girl's eyes. "I guess you just have to tread carefully here," she said with meaning.

Yuffie looked up at her and nodded, smiling once more. "I need to get going. I promised my dad I would go with him to one of his stuffy lunch meetings," she muttered, getting to her feet. "Thanks for listening to me, Teef." She hugged Tifa and then turned to Zack. "Same to you. I'm happy to see that one of my oldest friends found herself a guy who can value her and make her happy."

Instead of shaking her hand, Zack pulled her into a bear hug that nearly took her breath away quite literally. "You're always welcome in this house." He set the short girl down and wasn't at all surprised as to why she had captured Vincent's attention. She was cute, spunky and cunning. If Vincent hadn't still been married, Zack would've been the first to urge them to 'hook up.'

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for lunch?" Tifa asked as she walked Yuffie to the door.

"I need to get to that meeting in the next ten minutes," Yuffie grumbled; she'd always liked cutting it close.

"Okay. Take care of yourself and thank you for all of the beautiful clothes for Miles. And if you need anything, just give me a call and I'll be your ear or your shoulder," Tifa said kindly.

"Thanks, Teef. I'll probably take you up on your offer pretty soon," Yuffie said with a wink. She waved and then dashed out the door. Tifa turned back to her husband and smiled when she saw him holding the baby, murmuring quietly into the boy's dark hair. "What do you think?" she asked him, motioning towards the door.

"I think she needs to be patient. Vincent and Lucrecia aren't getting any better and he may be signing those divorce papers soon."

"You think so?"

Zack nodded. "It seems to me like neither of them _want_ to fix their relationship."

"Yuffie is my friend, Zack, and I don't want him to hurt her," Tifa said, moving towards their breakfast table to place their food on plates for lunch.

"Vince isn't a bad guy. He's just… out of the dating game. He fell in love with Lucrecia a little before senior year at high school and he married her before going to college. He hasn't seen any other women in this time so he's pretty much new to the dating scene," Zack defended, cradling their baby in one arm.

"Well, so is she! The difference being that he's nearly ten years older than her."

"He's only eight years older and he doesn't even look like it."

Tifa raised a thin eyebrow at him.

"Look, whatever they decide to do, it's none of our business, sweetheart," Zack said, wrapping his free arm around her waist and moving in for a long, ardent kiss.

She smiled against his lips and pulled away. "I'm immune to your charm now," Tifa said, pushing away from him.

"Yeah, right. If you were really immune to me, this guy wouldn't have come along," Zack replied, cocky.

Tifa laughed and shook her head. "We should get to lunch. Miles and I have a doctor's appointment later."

Zack nodded and resorted to eating with one hand, since he refused to put the baby down.

Smiling slightly to herself, Tifa still felt worry gnaw at her chest. She didn't know if having a baby had set off her maternal instincts onto some super magnified level, but she was feeling protective of Yuffie. She didn't want her to get her heart broken once more by a man older than her. She didn't deserve it.

Setting her thoughts aside, she smiled at Zack in reassurance when he paused in his eating and gave her concerned look. Maybe she would have to keep a closer eye on Yuffie from now on.

…

"Thank you for seeing me."

"I didn't expect to hear from you, and I must admit that your phone call surprised me. You've distanced yourself so much that I contemplated making an appointment to see you."

Vincent refrained from rolling his eyes. "I'm not the only one who helped with that distance."

Grimoire smiled grimly and then nodded. "You're right. We both didn't put much effort into having a father-son relationship, myself more so, but that doesn't mean that I don't care about you, son."

"I know," Vincent replied in a low tone.

The older man gave him a penetrating look. "You asked to see me, Vincent. Is something wrong? Have you and Lucrecia decided to desist from the divorce?"

Vincent shook his head, sending his short bangs into his eyes; he'd need a trim soon, he mused vaguely. "Lucrecia… is not interested in reconciliation, and we both agree that we should file for divorce as soon as possible."

"Did she admit to being unfaithful to you?"

"No. I asked her upfront if she wanted to leave because of another man and she assured me that it was not the case. She may want us to meet for dinner in order for us to discuss how we can make this as smooth as possible. She's working with Shinra now, so the last thing is she wants is an entire scandal surrounding our divorce."

His father nodded. "What is the problem, then?" asked Grimoire, sitting straighter in his chair and putting away the paperwork he had been working on before his son had arrived.

"I… expected to be more broken up over this. Instead, I've found myself thinking of another woman," Vincent said in a low voice.

Grimoire sighed and gave his son a scrutinizing look. "It's only natural to want to move on."

"But so quickly? Besides, the person I'm talking about is about eight years younger than I am."

The older man let out a rough laugh. "She's nineteen?"

Vincent was not amused by his father's reaction. "I'm not saying that I want to be romantically involved with her. I'm just saying that she intrigues me the way Lucrecia did before we became involved."

Grimoire was quiet as he thought of what to say to Vincent. "Who is she?"

"I would rather not say," Vincent muttered, feeling petulant even at his age.

"Did you come here for advice or to just hear my opinion about it all?" Grimoire asked.

Vincent frowned. "Aren't they one and the same?"

His father shook his head. "My opinion would be that you have a right to move on with anyone you see fit, and who you believe will make you happy. My only advice would be that you need to wait until your divorce is finalized. The last thing you want is for the scandal and rumors to turn on you, claiming infidelity. Do you have any idea how it will affect your Firm and clients if this were to happen?"

"I've considered that," Vincent stated calmly. "But I'm jumping ahead of myself. This girl interests me, but I'm not sure if I would want to get involved with her, or if _she_ would be interested in _me_."

"Tell me who she is, Vincent."

Vincent narrowed his eyes. "Yuffie Kisaragi."

Grimoire was quiet for a second before bursting into laughter once more. "Godo's daughter? Are you mad?"

"Apparently I am," Vincent replied in a flat tone.

"Godo and I have been friends since before you were born, Vincent. Which means that I know him and I know how protective he is of his daughter. He's not going to approve of just anyone she brings home, and he will probably demand that he be from Wutai. Besides, the girl is trouble personified."

"Yes, I've confirmed this first hand," Vincent replied. "Which is what interested me about her in the first place."

Grimoire sighed as he looked at his one and only son; his pride and joy, despite their differences. "You've always enjoyed the troublesome ones. Must I remind you of how you met your first girlfriend?"

She had punched him for accidentally brushing her bottom. And really it had been an _accident._ He'd never forget Elfé and the fact that she had had to move away only a few months into their relationship. Lucrecia had also taken a while to warm up to him, but when she had, the two had been inseparable. _'Where did all of that go?'_ Vincent wondered to himself.

"Sometimes the spark fades away," his father interrupted his thoughts.

Vincent looked up at him. "Is that what happened between you and my mother?"

"It was one of the things that happened to us. Our biggest problem was wanting different things," Grimoire admitted.

"Did she ever come back after she left?"

The older man met eyes nearly identical to his own. "She did. Though our arguments were so explosive that the last time we were face to face, I told her not to come back. I didn't want you to ever hear us talking to each other in such a way. I wanted you to retain your innocence, even after your mother abandoned us."

Vincent swallowed before nodding. "I… will not presume to know what went on between the two of you, but I understand that sometimes it is better to withdraw than continue on in a farce."

Well, he certainly had a unique way of looking at relationships, Grimoire mused. Despite all that he had tried to shield his son from, it was obvious that it hadn't been enough. He still cursed his ex-wife for having shared in screwing up their son's future relationships. "Does this girl make you feel alive?"

"Among other things," Vincent said with a wry smirk. Amazed, annoyed, confused… there were plenty other things he felt when he laid eyes on Yuffie and shared in her antics.

"Give Lucrecia her divorce, and once the papers have gone through, get to know this girl. I don't want you to remain trapped in memories from your past the way I did. I—I do want you to be happy, Vincent," Grimoire said, somber.

"I will keep your advice present in any of my future decisions." Vincent stood and straightened his suit; he then raised his hand to his father, who shook it. "Thank you, father."

Grimoire smiled and nodded. "Be careful with Kisaragi's princess, boy. I've heard many things about her, and while plenty are amusing, others are worrisome."

He wondered what those things were, but he had no desire to ask his father. He would get it from the source itself. "We should have dinner sometime soon."

Grimoire followed him to the door. "I would like that very much."

"Goodbye, Grimoire," Vincent murmured, reverting to his usual, distant treatment of his father.

Despite his words, the man smiled slightly to himself. "Be safe, son," he whispered as Vincent began to walk away.

…

As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, a glaring contest arose between her and Vincent's assistant.

Yuffie shifted the potted plant in the crook of her left arm and walked over to Elena. "I'm here to see Vince."

Elena raised a pale, arched eyebrow at her and gave Yuffie a condescending look. "Do you have an appointment? He's very busy today and has no time for petty distractions."

The dark haired girl scoffed and moved the flowers to her other arm. "Look, unless you want to find out firsthand what it feels like to be cracked over the head with a flower pot, you'll let him know I'm here."

"Please do," Elena taunted. "Then I'll sue you for all you're worth. The perks of working at a law firm, you know," she said smugly.

"Well, in that case I'll just hire Vincent to represent me. I've heard he's quite good, so I highly doubt you'll win," Yuffie countered.

More glaring ensued.

"Is there a problem here?" A deep, smooth voice startled them both.

Yuffie turned, her easy grin returning to her face, and she didn't miss the way Elena paled at the sight of the man. Hmm… "Tseng?"

Tseng inclined his head once. "Miss Kisaragi. It's been a while."

The short woman nodded cheerfully. "It was quite a meeting, wasn't it?"

"The last time we saw each other, you were eleven and had learned a new knot-tying _trick_…" he trailed off.

Yuffie smirked. "It's been that long?"

"It has," Tseng nodded. "What brings you here today?" he asked, glancing at Elena, who looked highly uncomfortable.

"Oh, I came to see Vincent, and Elena, who by the way is a very amiable person, was about to announce me," said Yuffie with a dangerous grin directed at the blonde.

Elena forced herself to not blush when both Tseng and Yuffie looked at her expectantly, but she had a feeling that her cheeks were still a faint pink, giving her embarrassment away. She stiffly reached for the phone and announced Yuffie while the short woman chatted away with Tseng.

"He'll see you now," Elena nearly ground out.

"Thank you," Yuffie said, grinning. "She's such a good assistant… maybe you should steal her away to work _under_ you."

Tseng cleared his throat at the clear innuendo in the younger woman's tone and this time he did notice the mortified look on Elena's face. "Take care of yourself, Miss Kisaragi."

"Thanks, Tseng. Don't work too much!" Yuffie returned cheerfully before prancing through the door of Vincent's office.

An awkward silence stretched between him and Elena, until finally she smiled. "I suppose you have a busy day, sir?"

Tseng nodded but remained where he stood, wanting to say more to her, but unable to think of something that wouldn't sound inane or incredibly boring. He came up with nothing and wondered briefly if _he_ was boring. "I hope you have a good day, Elena."

"You too, sir," she said, watching him walk away. Once he was safely back behind his office door, Elena let her head drop onto her desk with a small groan. Oh, how she absolutely loathed that Kisaragi girl.

…

Vincent watched her step into his office, carrying with her a pot of beautiful white orchids in her hands.

"I've decided that I'm going to be your friend."

Her greeting was unexpected; he smirked. "And as a friend you had to bring me flowers?"

"Well, I would've brought you a peach blossom sapling, but then I asked myself where you would plant it, and I decided that it was a bad idea."

Vincent found that he honestly believed her. He watched as she strode over to his desk and placed the plant at the corner of the glass, away from his files and computer. Then she moved to his side and leaned back against his desk, looking at him expectantly. "Thank you," he said after a moment of silence.

"You're welcome. Though… I had some issues with your assistant. I think she hates me," Yuffie said, nonchalant.

Vincent raised a brow at her in amusement. "Elena is a great assistant and she is usually very polite with everyone. I wonder why the animosity between the two of you has grown at this rate."

"I think it's just a matter of clashing personalities. Don't worry yourself, Vince," Yuffie said with a wave of her hand. "Have you taken your lunch break yet?"

"No. I haven't had the time," Vincent said, returning to writing into a file before placing it over a stack of others. "And I don't have the time to _leave_ my office today, Yuffie."

She pouted in an all too alluring way that had Vincent looking away. "Well, I guess we can order something from this place I know and have it delivered," she said, her grin coming back.

"Fine," Vincent conceded.

Before she could grab her phone and search the number for her favorite place, it began to ring, filling the quiet office with the cheerful beat of a song that made Vincent smirk and Yuffie blush and shrug.

'_Cause we are living in a material world, and I am a material girl.'_

"Ciss?" Yuffie asked, answering her phone. She listened and made noises of understanding for a few minutes. "I'm set for tonight. Yes, and please call Tifa and let her know, alright?" She nodded and grinned. "Okay. See you tonight!"

Vincent gave her a curious look but did not pry as to what she would be doing later in the evening; it really wasn't his business. Instead, he continued his work and waited for Yuffie to order their food. She then moved from one end of his spacious office to the other, looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the view. From there, she moved towards a table where he kept some of his books for research, glancing at them and huffing in boredom.

Vincent tried not to watch her every movement, but there was just a raw energy that seemed to be contained in her small body, just waiting to explode. "Important plans for tonight?" he asked, after the silence had stretched thin.

Yuffie nodded. "A girls' night out," she replied, not giving him any other bit of information.

"What do you do with your free time?" Vincent asked, standing to retrieve some files from file cabinet near the table that held his books.

"I try not to get into trouble. But it's easier said than done," she said, sitting down on the edge of Vincent's desk and typing quickly into her phone. "So, if I can't steal for charity… I fight for it."

That stopped Vincent in his search. "You fight for charity?"

Yuffie offered a quick grin and nodded. "I participate in a fight club kind of thing. There, we raise the money and give it to the charity we choose."

"And by 'raise' you mean… bet?"

Yuffie cleared her throat and refused to meet his eyes. "Of course not. There's like a grand prize thing for the winner."

"And Tifa knows about this?" Vincent asked, walking over to stand in front of Yuffie.

"Are you kidding me? Before she went off and got married and pregnant, we used to participate together. I had to fight her once…"

"And who won?"

"It was a draw." Yuffie sniffed in annoyance.

Vincent smirked. "Do you generally win?"

She nodded, smile turning smug. "There are a few times that I come in second or third, and though the prize isn't as big it still feels good to come out on top of the many others. Then I donate the money anonymously."

He hummed lightly and watched her fidget, cheeks turning pink under his scrutiny. When she finally looked up, Vincent felt his lips twitch at the perfect innocent picture she made with her soft face. He knew better though. "And your father knows about this hobby of yours?"

"Dad is busy running Wutai, so he rarely knows what I'm up to. Unless I get caught and someone presses charges. That's why he hired Rude when I was small. He's the one who takes care of me and can sometimes stop me from doing stupid things. Other times he just makes sure I don't hurt myself."

Vincent found it sad that her bodyguard was the one who knew her better than her own father but he forced himself to not dwell on that situation. It hit too close to home. His phone intercom buzzed and Vincent answered, Elena informing him that the delivery person had just arrive with their lunch.

Yuffie ran off before he could say anything to her, and Vincent took the moment to check for his wallet; he sighed in relief when he felt the heavy weight still in the inside of his coat. Yuffie returned and set the food on a clear space on the table he used for research, and motioned him over. "I ordered Wutain food," she said, removing a couple of boxes from inside of a bag, handing him sealed chopsticks. "You know how to use chopsticks, right?" she asked smartly.

Vincent just nodded and took the boxes she offered. "We're… eating straight from the box?"

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Don't go pretty-boy on me, Vince. I know you're not so formal every hour of the day and you don't have to be formal with me."

They sat down at close enough proximity that Vincent's eyes wandered when she crossed her legs. She was wearing shorts that bordered on being too short and he had tried to ignore them from the moment she had arrived. He had more self-control than this, he mused in annoyance. They ate silently for a while, darting looks from their food to each other from time to time.

"Why didn't you tell me you were married?" Yuffie asked out of the blue.

Vincent nearly dropped his box of cold noodles. "How do you know I am?" he asked, calm and unruffled.

"Mere coincidence. Wouldn't your wife mind that I'm taking up your time and pulling you out of your office randomly?" She watched Vincent as he patiently chewed the food in his mouth before he looked up at her, eyes unreadable.

"My wife and I are… no longer together," Vincent said in a nonchalant tone.

Yuffie's eyebrows raised as she stopped digging pieces of chicken from her box. "Why?" she asked after pausing.

Vincent gave her a mild glare. "You keep some of your life private, and so do I. I do not wish to talk about this now."

She let out a hum and shrugged. "That's fair enough, I suppose. But still, isn't it bad for your image or something to be seen with a woman who isn't your wife?"

Vincent set down his food and took a drink from his bottle of water. "I've never been much for what people have to say about me. I have built my reputation in the courtroom, and that's why I'm hired. Aside from that, my clients are serious ones who know better than to take the trashy gossip magazines seriously."

Yuffie grinned. "If I were in your shoes, I'd be able to tell my clients that most of the crap in those magazines is true."

Vincent didn't know whether to be amused or appalled at her words. "So… have you decided to not go to school during your free time?"

"Well, that's random," Yuffie muttered, feeling slightly miffed. Was he implying that she was a lazy bum who did nothing but steal in her free time? "I was homeschooled most of my life, so I finished my studies a year early. I went to the University of Midgar for two years and received a degree in business administration. My father wants me to take over the businesses he began to build before he practically took over running Wutai."

"Impressive."

She tried not to glare, but it annoyed her that he hadn't thought her capable of doing anything productive with her life. He didn't even _know _her. And that was the problem, wasn't it? Yuffie sighed. "You said you were busy today, right?" she asked, removing her chopsticks from her food and closing the box.

Vincent frowned at her sudden withdrawal and set his food aside. "I didn't mean to offend you," he said, quick to realize what may have bothered her. Yuffie stood and before Vincent could stop himself, he reached over and took her hand in his, drawing her a step closer. She had very soft hands.

She smiled and her fingers tightened around his for a moment before she withdrew slowly. "It's alright. I'm used to people thinking that I'm privileged and spoiled… mostly because I act like I am."

Vincent stood and towered over her in a non-aggressive way. "And it doesn't bother you?"

"Usually it doesn't," Yuffie muttered; but then again, it had stung when _he_ had said it. Damn. She wasn't supposed to be getting close to a married man, even if he and his wife were separated. Besides, Godo would probably flip out if he received any kind of rumors. "But I really should go. I need to get ready for the little show tonight," she said with a slight smirk.

Vincent nodded once. "Thank you for bringing me lunch," he murmured, eyes carefully skimming her dark eyelashes and the warmth in her chocolate brown eyes. Her lips quirked into a genuine smile when she noticed his eyes on her.

"Don't worry about it, Vince," she said, beginning to step back.

Vincent's hand closed around her wrist and pulled her closer again; close enough to smell the sweet floral scent of her hair, and the sweeter smell of the chicken she had been eating. He smiled and his other hand reached up to brush away the fringe falling over her eyes. She stared at him, wide-eyed and with color entering her cheeks at his tender action. "We should… _'hang out' _more often," he said, lips lifting at one corner.

Yuffie giggled and nodded. "We should. Though I have to admit that the fact that you're married is a little off-putting."

Vincent sighed and nodded. "It's a situation that will hopefully be resolved very soon."

"Maybe until then you and I should refrain from 'hanging out,'" she teased.

He merely grunted and continued his earlier inspection of her youthful features. He had to admit that her lips were what drew his attention the most, so moist and soft looking that he found himself inching closer to her.

Yuffie sighed and debated with herself on whether she should allow him to kiss her or not. What would be the harm? She'd never been one to easily fall in love, but this man in front of her, so handsome in his tailor made suit and with strange, crimson eyes was tempting her right now. She'd had her share of negative experiences in her short life, so he made her cautious. But she couldn't deny that she was drawn like a moth to a flame. "Are you sure you want to take that plunge, Vincent?" she asked, cheeky.

"I've been known to take risks from time to time. It's one of the reasons why I became a lawyer."

"I'm as dangerous as they come," Yuffie whispered, her hand bracing against his chest. "I'm not as innocent as I look, either."

"This is something I believe," Vincent replied, continuing his descent.

He could feel her soft breath fanning over his chin, so tempting, and her eyes were wide but inviting all the same. Vincent didn't know what it was about her that was tempting enough to make him forget all that he stood for as a lawyer. And just as their lips grazed gently, sending a tingle down his spine, the door to Vincent's office opened and Zack walked in. They stepped away from each other as the tall man slowed his gait and stared in surprise at them.

"Sorry. I think I was interrupting something?" Zack asked, bewildered.

Yuffie smiled at him and shrugged, grabbing her purse. "I was on my way out," she said, nonchalant.

Vincent returned to being cool and collected as he watched her walk off towards the door and Zack. She stopped next to the taller man and turned to look back at him before she winked. "Thank you for lunch, Yuffie."

"Anytime, Vince," she said, grinning. Then she was gone and all he had been able to glance had been the silky dark strands of her hair.

"Seriously?"

Vincent's eyes narrowed in annoyance as Zack closed the door and walked over to him.

"What are you doing, Vincent?"

"I _was_ having lunch," Vincent replied snidely.

"No, I mean… what are you doing with her? You're usually such a stick in the mud when it comes to having fun. Why are you interested in doing something dangerous now?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business," Vincent said, beginning to pack away the food that had been left over.

"Well, I thought that as your friend and associate that my opinion counted as something, but I guess it doesn't," Zack said flatly, turning to go.

"I didn't mean to snap at you, but this is my personal life," Vincent said, not wanting to drive his closest friend away.

"Well, you had plenty to say to me about Tifa before I married her," Zack said, rolling his eyes as he took the seat Yuffie had been occupying.

"That was because the both of you were still in school and marriage seemed a bit sudden."

"Says the man who married his high school sweetheart straight out of high school," muttered Zack.

"And that's exactly why I wanted to warn you that maybe it was too soon," Vincent reasoned.

Zack smiled and shook his head. "Fine, fine. I get it, but this is an entirely different situation, Vincent. You're still married, and Yuffie is like a wild bird, not made to be contained. You'll only hurt each other in the long run."

"How can you possibly be so sure of that?" Vincent asked in a low tone, leaning back in his chair and crossing his ankle over his knee, lost in thought. "For all you know we could be good for each other."

"True… but this situation is still complicated—"

"I think _you're _the one blowing all of this out of proportion," said Vincent as he stood and moved back to his desk.

"Tifa will hurt us, if you hurt Yuffie."

"Ah, and the true cause of your worry comes to light."

"In case you've forgotten, Tifa is a master martial artist. She could wipe the ground with both of our asses if she wanted to," Zack said with a wide smile, following Vincent.

It was a frightening fact that Tifa was that strong, but he also knew that both Zack and Tifa were overreacting. "I appreciate your worry, Zack, but I will do as I please with my life. After all, I have lived longer than you."

"By three years," muttered Zack.

"It still means that I've lived more and have more experience than you. Believe me, Zack, when I say that I will take responsibility for any of my actions," Vincent said, opening up his laptop so that he could continue with his work.

"Well, if you say so. I just hope that you know what you're doing," Zack said with a heavy sigh. "I'll have my notes on the Stevens case for you in an hour."

"Good. We're going to be meeting with Tseng in two hours," Vincent said, not looking away from his computer screen.

Zack stood and walked out of Vincent's office, not feeling reassured at all. Somehow he had a feeling that Vincent would find nothing but trouble with Yuffie. While he loved his wife to death, he'd always wondered about her choice of friends, since they were such a strange bunch. Pausing outside the door, Zack gave Elena a curious look when he caught the evil scowl on her face. "What's going on?" he asked her.

"I can't stand that girl. She's so… so…" Elena grit her teeth, unable to come up with a civilized enough word in front of her boss' friend.

"Better get used to it, Elena. I get the feeling that we're going to be seeing a lot of her around here from now on," Zack said with a small frown.

Elena let out a resigned sigh and swallowed down the unprofessional groan of irritation. What did a respectable man like Vincent Valentine see in a girl like Yuffie Kisaragi?

The blonde realized that she really didn't want to know.

…

…

…

…

Yay! Chapter two and we're moving forward at a believable pace, right? I proofread this late last night and I was tired, so please excuse any errors you probably came across while reading this chapter. Ah, and before I forget, I decided to name Zack and Tifa's baby Miles because in every search I found, it meant either _'merciful,' or 'soldier,' _which I thought was fitting either way. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, since I had fun writing it. Take care and I hope to see you soon!


	3. Playing with Fire

Goodness! It's been nearly a year since I last updated this story, so I want to apologize for that. It might be because I didn't have a clear plot before, but I'm hoping I have one now. I also had this chapter nearly finished for months already, but the ending kept eluding me… I'm just hoping that it's not so dull. I promise things will begin to pick up, since I don't think this'll be a long story. Anyway, thank you so much for your reviews for the last chapter and also thanks to those who have waited patiently for this fic to get updated!

…

**Playing with Fire**

…

"How are you planning on hiding the wounds from your old man?"

Yuffie shrugged. "If that bitch Scarlet hadn't hit me in the face, it would've been easier. In any case, I can just say that Rude pushed me down a flight of stairs." She grinned at the disgruntled grunt from her bodyguard.

"Your father wasn't born yesterday," Rude said, tone dry.

"Well, I can just say that I ran into the door, as cliché as it sounds."

Cissnei snickered to herself and nodded. "I guess it could work."

Rude's features barely twitched, but Yuffie could tell that he looked skeptical.

"Your father is visiting the neighboring city for the next two days," he informed her.

Which meant that she would have a few days for the split lip and bruise to heal. "Thanks, Rude. See? I have my own personal planner right there," Yuffie said with a chuckle. "Come on and let's go grab something to eat!"

Once they were seated at a nice, little café, with Rude sitting at the next table sipping tea, Cissnei asked her. "I heard a rumor. What's going on with you and Valentine?"

Yuffie glared. No one knew that she visited Vincent, aside from Rude, Elena, and now Tseng… "Who told?"

"Elena. We both went to the same boarding school, and we stayed friends since," Cissnei explained.

"Is she going around spilling my business to anyone who will hear her out? Because if that's the case—"

"No. She's my best friend, Yuffie. We tell each other everything," Cissnei interrupted.

"Like the fact that she's drooling all over Tseng's shoes?" Yuffie asked snidely.

Cissnei looked surprised. "How did you know that?"

Yuffie smirked. "You might want to tell your friend to look a little less _love struck_ whenever he comes out of his office."

The red head grinned and shrugged, but then glared pointedly. "Stop trying to distract me."

"I already went through this with Tifa," Yuffie muttered, annoyed.

Cissnei's eyes darkened at the mention of the other woman, but Yuffie ignored it. The two women couldn't be in the same room together because of a bitter rivalry that had centered on Zack. Yuffie imagined that it still burned the redhead that Zack had preferred Tifa in the end.

"And what did Tifa say to you?" asked Cissnei out of curiosity.

"She reminded me that he's a married man and that I have no business getting in the way."

"Ah, ever the little angel, right?"

"Ciss," Yuffie started, frowning.

"Well, if she's going to be the good guy in all of this, maybe I should be the bad guy and tell you to not give up?" Cissnei asked before taking a sip of her drink. "He's getting divorced, so that means that his marriage is already done. Might as well move in before someone else beats you to it."

Yuffie wondered if that's what Cissnei thought had happened between her and Zack. "I don't want to be the other woman."

The redhead shrugged. "How can you be the other woman if he doesn't even live with his wife anymore?"

Yuffie bit her lip and cursed her friend silently for appealing to her more devious side. She'd always been spoiled, especially because Godo had wanted to make up for the absence of her mother and himself, but she had never wanted to truly exploit that. Until now…

"No. I can't do that," Yuffie muttered, not meeting her friend's gaze.

"But you want to."

This time Yuffie did look up, but she realized that Cissnei wasn't looking at her, either. She frowned. "What are you really talking about?" Her friend didn't offer a reply and Yuffie growled. "Please don't tell me that you would do this if Zack gave you the chance!"

Cissnei just sipped her drink and looked anywhere but her friend.

"You'd be happy being the other woman, of not being the center of his world?"

"When you put it that way, no. I wouldn't be happy with that," Cissnei finally replied. "But sometimes love makes us do stupid things."

"Yeah…" Yuffie trailed off.

"Just ignore what I said to you, okay? Sometimes I feel like my life would've been so much better if I hadn't ever met Zack," Cissnei murmured, staring down at her drink.

Yuffie frowned to herself. "Look, you'll eventually find that guy that will make you forget all about Zack. All you have to do is start dating again."

"I told you that it wasn't going to happen anytime soon," Cissnei said, sighing slowly.

"It's been nearly two years…" Yuffie trailed off.

"It's been even longer since you and—"

"I implore you to not use that name to my face," said Yuffie darkly.

Cissnei nodded. "Sorry."

"Why don't we go and see if we can get into some trouble?" asked Yuffie, setting down a nice tip and getting to her feet.

"I don't think so. The last time we had 'fun,' my stepdad said he wouldn't bail us out of jail again," Cissnei said as she followed.

Yuffie snickered. "But you have to admit that we had fun, right?"

The redhead glowered.

"Fine, but you're missing out. I was going to have Rude organize a 'casino night,' in my backyard," Yuffie said with a grin.

Rude cleared his throat as both girls broke into giggles.

"I'm kidding, but I did want to go and get some clothes shopping done. Dad always leaves me money when he disappears for a few days and he'll worry if I don't spend it," said Yuffie as they stopped in front of her car. "The last thing I need is for him to start poking his nose in my business."

"And you have no plans of visiting your _friend_?" Cissnei asked.

Yuffie shrugged. "Maybe I'll go see him after I get bored of shopping, which will probably happen quickly."

"Then I'll leave you to it," said the redhead. "I need to get some things done, too. Thanks for lunch and I'll see you later!"

"Bye, Ciss!" Yuffie waved cheerfully.

She waved before going her own way, and Yuffie turned to her guard. "What should we do now?"

"Adopt a cat."

Yuffie looked at Rude and wondered if he was joking; she never could tell with him. "You know, that sounds like a good idea! I'll adopt you a parrot so that you can teach it to talk," she chortled.

Rude rolled his eyes behind his shades and opened the door for her to get into the car. It seemed that the day would be a long one, as it always was with Yuffie.

…

"You know, we could save each other a lot of grief if you just called Vincent without complaint every time I show up here."

Elena gave her the stink-eye but picked up the phone to let her boss know the younger woman was there to see him; she really had a lot of work and no time to antagonize the Kisaragi girl. She spoke to Vincent quickly and then hung up. "He's on an important call right now and he needs you to wait out here until he's done."

"Fine. Thanks," Yuffie said, plopping down onto one of the comfortable chairs to wait. She has started to nod off in boredom when she felt a heavy weight settle down next to her.

"Hello, beautiful!"

Yuffie's eyes narrowed as she turned to look at the man who had boldly dropped himself next to her. "Do I know you?"

"Aww, did you forget me so soon?"

_Honestly, how can I possibly forget that horrible drawl?_ She asked herself inwardly. "Ah, yeah. The guy who thought it would be appropriate to feel me up five minutes after we'd just met."

Reno rolled his eyes. "Believe it or not, my hand slipped."

Yuffie snorted and crossed her arms over her chest, signaling that he needed to keep his distance. "How can I help you?"

"Why are you being so formal? We're close in the age range, so I think we should be more familiar with each other," he said, faking a yawn and then placing his arm against her shoulders.

She wanted nothing more than to shove him off, but she didn't want to cause a scene when Vincent was close by. "Mind taking your hands off me?" she asked darkly.

"How about in exchange for me getting out of your hair, you accept to go out with me?" Reno started with a grin, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Yuffie sighed in annoyance and had begun to shake her head when the door to Vincent's office opened and he stepped out. His eyes immediately settled on her and narrowed a touch. _Interesting, _Yuffie whispered inwardly. She looked over at Reno and got up without a word, sauntering over to Vincent without addressing either man.

Once inside the office, Vincent closed the door and followed her, exuding a colder disposition as he took a seat at his desk. "How can I help you, Miss Kisaragi?"

"Aw, and here I thought we'd moved past the formalities," she said with a grin, walking around the desk so that she could take a seat next on the edge of the glass. She was fully aware of her short skirt riding up as she swung her legs, and she found that this had become her favorite way of teasing him.

Vincent opened his computer and began to type, nearly groaning to himself. He was acting like some jealous teen…

"Aw, you're giving me the silent treatment now?" Yuffie asked, pouting slightly. A thought occurred to her. "Was it… because Reno had his arm around me?"

"No. I'm busy but didn't wish to be rude with you by turning you away," Vincent replied a little too quickly.

Yuffie sighed and slid off of the desk. "I can come back some other time if you want," she replied, dejected.

Vincent noticed the change in her tone and nearly kicked himself. The last thing he wanted was for her to be upset because of his own foolish behavior. "That's not necessary, but if you are willing to wait a half-hour, we can go get that lunch we talked about a few days ago."

Yuffie grinned and nodded. "That sounds great. I'll be waiting in my car for you, okay?"

He glanced at her and nodded. "I will meet you soon then."

"Okay!" she said cheerfully, pivoting on her heel. But before she could step away, she quickly turned around and pressed an impulsive kiss against his cheek.

Vincent stared in surprise as she winked and walked off with a little wave.

He stared after her and leaned back in his big, comfortable chair, wondering what that had been about. It wasn't like it had been unpleasant…

What was he doing with this girl? Was he leading her on? He didn't want to, but he found that her company was pleasant and that something about her softened something in his chest. He liked her. His father had advised him to get a divorce first and Vincent was very tempted to rush the process a little more. Lucrecia wanted the divorce, too, and now he had found a reason to _want_ to get out of the marriage. He was just confused as to what he was actually doing. Having fun? Did he need adventure? …Danger? He had no answers but was now willing to find them if he could.

With alarming speed, Vincent finished the report he had been working on and grabbed his coat and phone before he was out the door.

Elena watched from her desk in hidden aggravation and agreed to hold his calls unless they were emergencies as he instructed her from the elevator doors.

When he walked out of the building, the window to the black SUV parked right in front of the building rolled down and Yuffie's smile greeted him. "How much time do you have free?" she asked. When he raised his eyebrow at her question she shrugged. "So that we can hang out at the park. The snow finally melted and I want to get some sun before another snow storm comes along!"

"I thought we were having lunch together," said Vincent.

"We are, but we can just relax in the park. Something like a picnic," she offered.

Vincent wondered whether he should decline her offer and go back to his office. After all, wasn't that what people did on dates…? He sighed and found himself nodding. "I need to be back in one hour at the most," he replied.

Yuffie grinned and opened the door, scooting to the other side so that he could sit with her. As soon as he was in and the door closed, Rude began to drive, eyes on the road and music on loud enough to drown their conversation out.

"Why do you let me do this?" Yuffie asked turning to look at him curiously.

Vincent looked at her. "Do what?"

"Drag you out of your office… steal your time," she said, thoughtful.

Vincent didn't know what to reply to her questions. Why indeed? "I don't know," he replied honestly. "But you are interesting, and it's been a while since someone went out of their way to get me out of the office."

"You mean that your sunny assistant doesn't try to stop you from overworking yourself?" Yuffie asked.

"Elena is very respectful, and her job is to help keep me and my schedule organized. She does her work expertly and she does not question my decisions unless she truly has to."

No wonder she was such a stick in the mud: she was a perfectionist. "Well, at least you have me now to cheer up your days," Yuffie said, winking.

Vincent grunted and smirked at her words. If he was honest, he could admit that this did make him feel better. "And you?"

Yuffie grinned playfully. "What about me?"

"Why do you continue to come to my office? Why do you want to be my friend?" Vincent questioned, watching her fingers twitch in her lap, as if she needed something to occupy them.

"Well, it's fun getting under your skin. You're a really controlled type of person, especially given that you're a lawyer, so it's fun for me to see you let loose and have some fun. I like it when people around me are happy," she replied, a touch of pink coming to her cheeks.

"Would this be a bad time to ask about your split lip?"

Yuffie narrowed her eyes darkly at the reminded. "Last night's fight."

"Did you win?"

Her smirk was answer enough.

"You know, there are much better ways to raise funds for a good cause," Vincent said, matter-of-fact.

"But they're not nearly as fun as the way I do it," Yuffie said, grinning.

Vincent shook his head and kept quiet as he considered her way of thinking. She was such a strange girl; contradictory and stubborn. She enjoyed doing things the wrong way and while it amused him, it also told him that having her around would surely cause him all kinds of trouble. Why, then, was he against pushing her out of his life? Vincent couldn't recall ever feeling as confused as he did then.

The drive continued on quietly, but before reaching the park, they made a quick stop at a restaurant that had packed their lunch to go. When they arrived at the park in the heart of the city, Rude made himself scarce, and Vincent and Yuffie found a nice secluded spot where they wouldn't be bothered but offered a stunning view of the rest of the greenery and the city.

Spreading out a thick black blanket she had found in the back of her car, Yuffie straightened it out while Vincent set down the picnic basket and waited for her to take a seat first. For a moment she cursed her short skirt, but she figured that all she had to do was stay sitting next to Vincent in order to avoid giving him an eyeful.

"What do you want to start with?" Yuffie asked, pulling out various cartons and containers. "Soup or sandwiches?"

"I will… try the soup," said Vincent, sniffing lightly at a few of the boxes. "What are the sandwiches made of?"

"Some are roast beef and others are ham, I think," Yuffie said, opening one up.

After eating their delicious lunch in relative silence, they moved on to dessert, which were a variety of tartlets and small slices of cake. Yuffie had no qualms about indulging in sweets, which seemed to suit her personality, Vincent noted. She appeared to have the same appetite for food as she did for life, even though her father was distant with her. Her happiness was contagious.

He watched her savor the raspberry tart in her hand, her bright eyes staring up at the blue sky filled with clouds. He let out a light sigh when a bit of the jelly remained at the corner of her mouth and on some of her fingers. Vincent handed over a napkin and watched in amusement as her cheeks flushed with color and she wiped her hand, completely missing her lips.

He didn't know what it was that he wanted to do in that moment, but he knew that he had no place thinking anything remotely suggestive where concerning Yuffie. She was… young; he needed to keep reminding himself of that important fact.

"Here," he murmured, reaching up and wiping the sweet away with his thumb.

Yuffie paused and stared at him in surprise, blinking long lashes at him. "Thanks," she said softly, watching as he almost reluctantly wiped his finger on a napkin. "Vince, do you like me?"

Vincent looked up in surprise at her question and then inclined his head. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

She grinned and nodded. "Do you… still like your wife?"

His good mood seemed to vanish at her question. "I don't see what the point of that question is."

Yuffie narrowed her eyes and sniffed. "It's to help me see whether or not I should stick around."

He took a sip out of his coffee and sighed. "Lucrecia and I had our time together. We were together for so long that I am beginning to think that we were just comfortable with each other."

"You mean that there was no longer love?" Yuffie asked, confused, taking note that he hadn't answered her question.

"There was love, but it seemed to have cooled down. There was no longer passion or… heat," he murmured, faint pink coming over his cheeks.

Yuffie grinned at his words and sucked the remaining jelly off of her index finger. She looked up and nearly froze when she caught his gaze on her again, but this time… this time there was a distant echo of that heat he had mentioned. It made her throat run dry and her fingers twitch.

Vincent cleared his throat and knew that he needed to control himself better. It was surprising really, because he was the epitome of control and coldness when it came to being in the courtroom, why couldn't he do that in real life? With this girl?

"I adopted a kitten today from a shelter," Yuffie said, her easy grin returning as she laid on her back over the picnic blanket, making sure that she wouldn't inadvertently flash Vincent.

"Really," said Vincent, bemused. He honestly had never been a big fan of cats, but he wisely kept that to himself.

"Yeah. She's a Ragamuffin with white fur. The lady at the shelter said that she'll develop her color as she grows older, so she's all white now."

He hummed in reply. "Have you named her yet?"

"I was thinking on naming her 'Cupcake.'"

Vincent made a face that brought giggles from her.

"I was just kidding!" Yuffie let out a sigh. "She likes to pounce a lot, so I might just name her Ninja."

"Ah, well that sounds like a more appropriate name," Vincent replied, trying to stop his fingers from moving, since some of Yuffie's soft locks of hair had fallen over his knuckles. "Is this the only pet you own?"

Yuffie nodded. "I used to have one when I was a little girl, but she belonged more to my mom than me. When… when my mom died, the cat missed her so much that it died of loneliness later on, too," she said quietly.

Vincent stared down at her and took in the smooth roundness of Yuffie's sweet face, and how her eyes seemed to have dimmed with sorrow. He finally shifted his fingers, but only enough to tug lightly on her hair. "Sadness doesn't suit you."

She smiled slightly and shrugged. "Can't help it. I miss my mom."

He could relate to that. "As much as I have enjoyed this outing, I need to return to my office."

Yuffie sat up and leaned back on her hands so that she could look at him. "Do you mean that or are you just being polite?"

Vincent gave her a small smile. "I really mean that, Yuffie."

"Good!" she exclaimed, leaning forward and planting a soft kiss on his cheek. She blushed and inwardly tried to stifle a giddy laugh when Vincent reached up to touch the spot she had kissed. "It's too bad we can't go on a real date."

_Why can't we?_ he wanted to ask her, but he already knew the answer. His situation with Lucrecia wouldn't be resolved for another month or two… He got to his feet and then offered her a hand, which she took gratefully. "It is… only a matter of time before we can."

Yuffie's giddiness returned tenfold at his words. Was he saying that he _did_ want to date her? "You know… I'm not a very patient person."

"Ah, but for this you will need every ounce of patience possible," he warned. "A divorce is a difficult process, even if both parties are in favor of it. I… might not be the man that you are looking to have in your life."

Yuffie shrugged and stepped back from him, her fingers still holding his. "Well, I like you as you are so far," she said with a wink. "All that's left for me to do is watch you defend someone in court."

Vincent was surprised that this was something she was interested in doing. "This is a positive sign for me."

"Why?" Yuffie asked curiously, inspecting his long, pale fingers and rubbing her own thumb across his knuckles.

"Lucrecia never gave herself time to come see me in court. She was not interested in what I did for a living," Vincent admitted.

Yuffie smiled and shrugged. "I figure that I should at least know what your work entails if we're going to be friends." _And maybe more_, she added inwardly.

"I'd like that," Vincent replied. "I had a wonderful time with you. Thank you."

Yuffie nodded and let out a small quick breath as her heart began to pound in her chest. "I did, too." She paused to look around. "I should probably find Rude…"

Vincent tilted his head towards the right. "He might be a little busy."

"Doing what? Chasing after squirrels and butterflies?" Yuffie asked with a laugh.

"Actually, it seems to me as if he is talking to a lady."

"_What?"_ And sure enough, when Yuffie turned to look, there he was sitting at the fountain and talking to a pretty brunette. "Wow," she breathed.

Vincent raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What's wrong?"

"…I've never seen Rude talk to a girl before. As in _really_ talk to her," Yuffie said with a slow grin. "I might have to follow him on his day off to see what it is that he'll do!"

Vincent gave her a stern look and shook his head at her antics. "Yuffie—"

"What? He's like my big brother and I have a right to know what he's getting into!" Yuffie exclaimed, already thinking up a way to learn the name of Rude's girl. Because really, knowing her name would be a good way to start on a background check, Yuffie thought evilly.

Vincent watched on in amusement at the expressions crossing Yuffie's face. She'd gone from suspicious, to awed, and straight to devious; he wondered what that mind of hers was conjuring up. "As long as you don't conduct illegal activities…"

"Pfft… illegal? Me?" she asked, giving him her best innocent look, which left her looking even more mischievous than usual.

"I've seen the case file on you, Miss Kisaragi," said Vincent dryly; she'd done some very outrageous things.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Yuffie said, pouting angrily. "You know my secrets but I don't know any of yours!"

Vincent reached up to place his hands on her shoulders, his thumbs rubbing her collarbone in subtle movements. "It's best that you don't know any of my secrets," he said in a low, rumbling voice. "They might scare you away."

Yuffie was not deterred, but she merely watched him in curiosity, knowing that she was getting past that point where she could still turn back and walk away from this married man. A married man that she found she liked very much. Damn.

"Do you have that many?" she asked in a low voice.

"You're welcome to find out. Eventually."

Well, that was an invitation… and she wanted to accept it now. Instead, she smiled and moved back to begin packing the things they had used that could be washed, and Vincent began to gather the trash.

From there they began their small trek back towards the car, with Rude _secretly_ exchanging numbers with the girl by the fountain right before he began to follow after Yuffie.

"So… are we going to be doing this often?" Yuffie asked Vincent, glancing up at him to gauge his reaction to her question.

"It all really depends on you," he replied. Because she'd been the one to take the first step towards their friendship.

"Is that because I'm the one who invades your space and forces you out of hiding out in your office?" Yuffie asked, cheeky.

"That's an important reason, yes, but… we both know that we need to address the fact that I'm married. I… enjoy spending time with you, even when we've just met recently."

Yuffie wondered if this was his way of saying that he _liked_ her. "I hear a 'but' coming."

He gave her a half-smile. "…But, I don't think this is fair to you."

"What isn't fair to me?" Yuffie asked softly.

"The fact that I cannot give you the attention you seek. I am not free to do so, yet…" he trailed off meaningfully.

Yuffie glanced at him with a grin. "Are you saying that you like me enough to date me?"

Vincent glanced away from her and hoped that he wasn't blushing. Really, he wasn't a teen anymore! "I might."

The young woman giggled and glued herself to his side, hugging his arm to her. "Aww, Vince! You're such a sweetheart. Who knew that you weren't as tough as your reputation says you are!"

"…What about my reputation?" Vincent asked with a frown, narrowing his eyes.

Yuffie shrugged and let go of his elbow. "I asked around about you and your reputation as a lawyer. There are a lot of people who respect you and some even fear your crazy skills in the courtroom. It's good to know that I'll have a good lawyer to defend me next time that I get into some trouble."

"I should hope that you don't. After all, how would that speak of my reputation if I'm dating a troublemaker after my divorce?" he asked her smartly.

She stuck her tongue out at his profile and skipped ahead, making a flock of birds, which had been pecking at some leftover crumbs, take off into flight. Up ahead she stopped to admire roses of various colors and waited in front of the white hued ones for Vincent to catch up with her. "My mother used to call me her 'white rose of Wutai,'" Yuffie murmured, smiling ruefully.

"She must've been an exceptional woman, for you to remember something that happened so long ago," said in Vincent in a low tone.

Yuffie caressed the petals of the rose gently and nodded. "I just hope that someday I can become even a fraction of the woman that she was."

Vincent reached over to touch her chin, slowly turning her face so that he could look her in the eyes. "Yuffie… you're already half-way there."

His words, coupled with the shine of his crimson eyes, eyes that stood out with the paleness of his skin and inky darkness of his hair, made her catch her breath. Hadn't they been over this already? His thumb rubbed across her lower lip, softly dragging and sending a tingle down her spine as she stepped closer to him.

"All you have to do is stop stealing," he said with a smirk, staring down into her eyes.

Her eyes seemed to shine even more with his words. "I don't think I can do that."

"Not even for me?"

Her lips quirked at the side as she looked away from him. "I already learned not to give up parts of myself to any man," she whispered.

And with her words, the spell was broken. Vincent's brows furrowed slightly as they continued to walk, with Yuffie's eyes taking in the roses in silence. What had happened to her at such a young age? When she'd spoken, she'd sounded as if she'd had plenty of years of romantic experience. And he wanted to know why.

"I don't think we'll be able to picnic for a while. There's more snow coming our way," Yuffie commented, her authentic smile returning.

"There are other places we can visit," offered Vincent.

"I thought we weren't going to do this."

Vincent stared down at her. "We will be meeting as friends. Unless… you're not interested. In that case I will not continue to bother you."

Yuffie moved over to his side and grinned as she bumped his side purposely. "I don't think you'll be able to live without my friendship now."

For some reason, he believed her… "Of course. Most of my partners at the firm are rather dull; with the exception of Zack."

"Oh, now that's perfect black mail material!" Yuffie crowed, hanging onto his arm and cheering.

Vincent rolled his eyes, but he wasn't angered. "It's your word against a respected lawyer, Miss Kisaragi."

Yuffie laughed and nodded. "Touché. But I do happen to be the daughter of a well-respected man. _And_ my record is practically nonexistent."

"Yes, I wonder how that has been made possible," said Vincent dryly.

"I don't question my father's methods, Vince," Yuffie said, avoiding his gaze. "I learned that I'm better off not knowing."

Vincent wondered what she meant by that and what exactly it was that she knew or suspected. "As long as his work does not put you in any danger," he said, opening the door to the car for her.

Yuffie stepped up so that she stood a few inches above him. "Would you be worried about me, Vincent?"

He looked away from her knowing eyes, lips slanted in mild embarrassment. "I do worry about my friends," he replied.

She giggled, covering her lips with the tips of her fingers. "You mean your one and only friend, right?"

Vincent was not amused. "I need to get back to work," he said, a hand gripping the door while the other moved to her hip to push her back. In doing so, her foot slipped from her precarious perch on the car and she dove forward, out of balance. Vincent caught her with both hands on her waist, and her two hands pressed to his shoulders. "My apologies. I didn't mean to treat you so roughly."

Yuffie grinned and felt the dreaded blush start. "Ah, don't worry about it. But you know, your hands are still pretty firmly settled on my waist."

He realized that she was right, and that he still wasn't letting her go. His body was ignoring his brain's pleas to not take their friendship any further. It wasn't fair to either of them… But her lips looked pink and inviting, her eyes were clear and unblinking, and his fingers had accidentally slipped just under the edge of her shirt to feel her soft skin…

"Ahem."

Yuffie almost growled at Rude's interruption, but she moved away from Vincent and slipped the rest of the way into the car. Vincent followed her and sat silently next to her. Letting out a little sigh, Yuffie wondered if they had crossed that invisible line yet… What if their growing friendship had been ruined?

As Rude started the car and began to drive, Yuffie sighed to herself and stared ahead, thoughts jumbled around in her head.

As the car hit a particularly bumpy section of road, she lowered her hand to the space between her and Vincent, feeling nothing but warm skin instead of cool leather. She glanced up quickly at him and smiled when he turned his palm up and gripped her slim fingers gently.

He was warm, and his hand was so much bigger than her own, and… damn it, this wasn't supposed to be happening.

He held her hand until they arrived back at his office building. "Should we do this again?" he asked her in a low voice.

She didn't know if he meant their date or holding her hand. Yuffie shrugged and grinned. "Yeah, I'd want to do this again."

Vincent nodded and then pulled her fingers toward his lips. "Then we will see each other again soon. Stay out of trouble, Miss Kisaragi."

"Yeah well, you know me," she murmured with a little sigh as he let go.

Vincent chuckled lightly and stepped out of the car, glancing at her once before closing the door and walking away.

Blowing out a long breath, Yuffie leaned her head back against her seat and closed her eyes. "Rude, I think I might be in love."

Rude grunted and began to drive once more. "He's a married man."

"I know."

"And it's my duty to keep you out of trouble."

"…so? Does that mean that you'll rat me out to my dad?"

"I might."

Yuffie snickered and knew that he wouldn't unless she was in some kind of physical danger. No, the only danger present now was losing her heart…


End file.
